Explanation:
It's stars versus dust in the Carina Nebula and the stars are winning.
More precisely, the energetic light and winds from massive newly formed stars are
evaporating and dispersing the
dusty stellar nurseries in which they formed.
Located in the
Carina Nebula and known informally as
Mystic Mountain,
these pillar's appearance is dominated by the dark dust
even though it is composed mostly of clear
hydrogen gas.
Dust pillars such as these are actually much thinner than air and only appear as
mountains due to relatively small amounts of
opaque interstellar dust.
About 7,500 light-years distant, the featured image was taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope and highlights
an interior region of Carina which spans about three
light years.
Within a few million years, the stars will likely
win out completely and the entire dust mountain
will evaporate.